The internet

12:01AM GMT 19 Jan 2004

Leigh Hunt, manager of the Business Resource Centre in Rugby, has found that by helping local firms make their websites more attractive to disabled customers they also become more likely to appear higher up the list on search engines.

Key tricks to attract customers with mobility problems include reducing the number of clicks required on the mouse before you get to the information - "common sense and good practice anyway", according to Ms Hunt.

Blind people access the internet using software that reads the code behind each web page. Ms Hunt says that these readers pick up all the HTML code, so the more links you have on a page the more time it will take for the customer to get to the information he wants.

This same approach is used by search engines, so the less code on each page the more likely a customer searching the web for a specific product or service will be directed to your site. Ms Hunt says the "cascading style sheets" way of writing web pages will optimise the way the code is presented.

Companies should also ensure that pictures on a website contain a code box that pops up to explain the illustration when the mouse arrow hovers over the area. And consider whether a colour coded product range would confuse someone who is colour blind.

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"It's a win-win situation all round because you are maximising your market and you are making it accessible to blind people," says Ms Hunt. "You are increasing your chances of being found in a search engine and you are minimising the chances you will be prosecuted under the Act." The centre has organised a free half-day event on January 29 for companies looking for further advice.

"There's too much regulation out there, but when I come across something that benefits business as well as customers then I think it's something to flag up," says Ms Hunt.